Balancing the development and carbon emissions in rural areas of China

Synergy relationship between human development and carbon emissions in rural areas is an important aspect of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Chinese government is promoting a rural revitalization strategy towards 2050, but whether the development of rural industries and changes in farmers’ lifestyles will increase carbon emissions is a matter of concern. Here, this study obtained survey data from 322 villages of 27 provinces in China by face-to-face interviews, and the reliability of these data has been proven through T-test. Rural Human Development Index (RHDI) and rural carbon emissions have been evaluated, and “quadrant method” was conducted to clarify the relationship between RHDI and rural carbon emissions. Then, this study explored drivers of rural carbon emissions under the different kinds of villages. Results showed that the range of RHDI was 0.166-0.846, and 63.66% villages were at the low level. The average rural carbon emissions were up to 3.15E+03 t CO2 eq, and 28.26% villages were at the high level. However, villages with low RHDI and low carbon emissions accounted for the highest proportion (47.52%), and the increase of RHDI significantly caused more carbon emissions. 73.73% of carbon emissions came from people living, in which diesel of transportation and electricity were the main sources of rural carbon emissions, and the increase of population and area can significantly bring about more carbon emissions. Overall, the development level of Chinese rural area was relatively low, and the use of clean energy needs to be further optimized to arrive the goal of decoupling of economy and carbon emissions.